


But the Arms of the Ocean Delivered Me

by boltschick2612



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: M/M, Tampa Bay Lightning, World Cup of Hockey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-07
Updated: 2017-07-07
Packaged: 2018-11-29 04:19:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11433021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boltschick2612/pseuds/boltschick2612
Summary: Tyler tries to make up for lost time.





	But the Arms of the Ocean Delivered Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [blueabsinthe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueabsinthe/gifts).



> Set to take place during the World Cup of Hockey in 2016, during which a good number of Tyler's teammates were there, participating for their respective countries, as well as Janus representing Slovakia. 
> 
> Quick background for anyone whom might not know, Jaro was a prospect for the Lightning, and goalie for their AHL affiliate, during the years the team was located in Norfolk. He never spent much time at the NHL level, instead playing for various teams back home, and in the KHL. 
> 
> Of course, he and Tyler were close friends when they played together (in real life), and this story is based around them having been a couple during that time. (In fictional life)
> 
> Title taken from 'Never Let Me Go' by Florence + the Machine.

Tyler knows he didn't need a lame excuse to reach out to Jaro again. He didn't have to wait until a majority of his teammates would be in the same place, and at the same time as Jaro, in order to to see him. He knows the smart thing to do would have been to never lose touch with him in the first place, but Tyler had his reasons, even if after all these years, he would occasionally forget what they were. 

So, after roughly sixteen hours of travel, which included flights, layovers, and sharing a cab with Andrei to his team's hotel, Tyler finally made it. He's finally standing outside Jaro’s hotel room door, honestly not sure what he will find when he works up the courage to knock.

He's not exactly sure what would be worse; Jaro welcoming him with literally open arms, all the while knowing how short the reunion must be, or traveling all this way, only to have Jaro ask him to leave. 

If pressed, Tyler would probably admit that he deserved a little bit of grief and anger in exchange for completely shutting Jaro out of his life for close to five years. That hadn't been his intention initially, when Jaro had shared his plan to continue playing in Slovakia, but the more and more Tyler tried to pick up the phone, the harder it became. 

Maybe he should leave, Tyler thinks. It's not too late to turn around and continue his life as normal, as it had been up until this point. Without any further thought, and before he can change his mind, Tyler reaches up and knocks on the door. His heart starts to pound, Tyler can hear it in his ears as he waits for the door to open. He swears it's the longest few seconds of his life. 

Finally, the door slowly creeps open, and Tyler tries to peek inside, momentarily wondering if he even has the right room. That question is answered when the door swings open the rest of the way, and Jaro appears on the other side. 

“Ty... _diet’a_ ….fuck.” Jaro looks absolutely stunned, eyes blinking rapidly, almost as if he can't believe the sight before him. 

Hearing Jaro say his name, and the term of endearment they shared in his native tongue, is honestly more than Tyler ever could have hoped for. He could leave that exact second and be satisfied. 

“I know, I shouldn't be here, not now. Not after ignoring you for so long, but…I just had to.” 

“Phone works both ways,” Jaro says with a shrug, taking some of the blame as his own. 

“I wouldn't have answered.” The shame in Tyler's voice is clear, and the words leave Jaro shocked. Tyler knows he owes an explanation, if nothing else. 

“It was the only way, for me. I had to completely block you out, or I wouldn't have been able to take it. I wouldn't have been able to handle you being so far away, where I couldn't touch you. Couldn't hold you.”

He searches Jaro's face, trying to judge the emotion flashing in his eyes, but all he sees is want. He pulls Jaro closer, grasping at the thin fabric of his shirt and tugging with such force he can almost hear the threads give. 

Jaro's lips are suddenly hovering over his, so close Tyler can almost taste him on his tongue. It's almost too much, yet he wants more. He wants to breathe Jaro in, hold him close, and hang on to his every word.

“ _Nemáme čas na slová_ , " Jaro says in a hushed and soothing voice, breathing the words over Tyler's skin. 

Tyler pulls back slightly, cocking his head in confusion. He recognizes a fraction of Jaro's words, he's heard him use them before, but not enough to make sense of them.

“We don't have time for words,” Jaro repeats, just as quiet and smooth, this time in English so Tyler understands. 

The words wrap around Tyler's brain, and settle there, giving him all the motivation he needs. 

All the movements are sudden, hurried, and fevered. There's hands grasping wrists, brushing over fabric, and sliding over skin. Jaro pulls Tyler inside, and shuts the door behind him in such a swift and fluid motion, that Tyler almost doesn't notice. He's being pressed against the wall, and feeling Jaro's lips travel down his neck and over his collarbone before he even has a chance to catch his breath. It's all so maddening, and in the best way possible. 

Tyler knows as soon as things are over, as soon as he leaves the confines of the hotel room, things will just go back to the way they were before. He'll go back to his little own world where Jaro doesn't exist, and his heart isn't shattered into a million pieces. 

A single night is all he has, and Tyler knows he has to make the most of it.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

Tyler rolls over in bed, and squints his eyes against the bright assault of sun streaming through the windows. He has to stretch, and work the soreness from his muscles, before he can even begin to think about moving with any type of purpose. A quick glance to the other side of the bed tells him that Jaro is still peacefully sleeping, laying on his side. Jaro's back is facing him, but Tyler can still see the steady rise and fall of his chest as he breathes. He wants to take every second in, every sight and sound. He wants to commit it to memory. 

Slowly, he rolls over, shifting his body closer to Jaro's sleeping form. It takes all the energy in his body to lightly skate his fingers along Jaro's arm, stopping to rest his hand on top of Jaro's.

Tyler wants to loops his fingers around Jaro’s and hold on tight, not ever letting go. He wants the moment to last forever, for them to stay frozen in a world with no responsibilities, and no such thing as distance. 

Above all else, he just wants to believe that any of that were even possible.

He truly doesn't know when he'll be seeing Jaro again, if ever, and he can’t be sure there will be any more nights like last night, where he got to fall asleep listening to the steady and even sounds of Jaro’s breathing. 

What Tyler does know, however, is that even if this truly is the last time, it will be enough.


End file.
